Printing-press.



No. 785,821. PATENTED MAR. 28, 1905.

' E. N. MILLS.

PRINTING PRESS.

APILIOATION FILED AUG. 3, 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED MAR. 28, 1905.

E. N. MILLS.

' PRINTING PRESS.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 3, 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Swan/fol PATENTBD MAR. 28. 1905.

- E. N. MILLS. PRINTING PRESS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 3, 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

NE N 0w PATENTED MAR. 28, 1905.

' B. N. MILLS.

PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1904 GSHEETS-SHBET 4.

Mum

No. 785,821. I PATENTED MAR. 28; 1905.

' B. N. MILLS.-

PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION IILED AUG. 3, 1904.

- 6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

UNITED STATES Patented March 28, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWVARD N. MILLS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TON. H. SMITH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

PRINTING-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,821, dated March28, 1905.

. Application filed August 3, 1904- Serial No. 219,283.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD N. MILLs, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPrinting-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in printing-presses, the object ofmy invention 1 being to provide means for taking the paper from thefeed-box directly onto the impression-cylinder without any intermediatemechanism; also, to provide means for relieving the lowest sheet of apile from the way of the superincumbent sheets, thus preventing theaccidental tearing of thin paper which occasionally happens with feedingdevices at present in use; also, to provide means for taking the paperonto the cylinder through the medium of an exhaust, and in doing so toeconomize the amount of suction necessary and the power required toproduce such suction.

My invention therefore resides in the novel construction, combination,and arrangement 5 of parts for the above ends hereinafter fullyspecified, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear view, partly brokenaway, of the press.

3 Fig. 2 is a broken detail view of the disk for reciprocating the bed.Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the press. Fig. 4 isa side elevation of the other side of the press. Fig. 5 is a detail ofthe controllervalve for the suction. Fig. 6 is a broken plan view of thepress. Fig. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal section, partly broken away,of the feed-box and the parts immediately adjacent thereto. Fig. 8 is asimilar view of 4 the parts in a different position. Fig. 9 is anenlarged longitudinal section of the end of the impression-cylinder.Fig. 10 is an enlarged broken plan view thereof. Fig. 11 is an enlargedbroken perspective View of said impression-cylinder. Fig. 12 is across-section of the vacuum-conduit through one of the suction-holes.Fig. 13 is a section through the shaft of the impression-cylinder at theend i which the bed 4: rceiprocates.

thereof, the gear being removed. Fig. 14 is a cross-section of theimpression-cylinder. 5o

1 represents a suitable frame having side pieces 2 and grooves 3 in saidside pieces in 5 represents the driving-shaft, on which is secured amitergear 6, meshing with a miter-gear? on a vertical shaft 8, havingsecured on its upper end a disk 9. having therein a slot 10. In saidslot is a pin 11, attached to a horizontal pitman 12, carrying at itsother end a pin 13, attached to the under side of the bed 4. By reasonof this construction the bed is reciprocated by the revolution of theshaft 5. Said bed carries on each side a rack 16, with which meshgearwheels 17, secured upon the ends of the cylinder l8. Said cylinderhas a shaft 19, the 5 ends of which are mounted in boxes 20, which slidein guides 21, formed upon the frame 1. On the ends of said shaft 19,outside said boxes, are mounted smaller gear-wheels 22, which mesh withstationary racks 23, mounted 7 upon the frame. The elfect of thisconstruction is that when the bed is moved longitudinally in onedirection the cylinder rotates and also moves bodily in the oppositedirection.

Upon the rear end of the frame are secured boxes 25 for the stationaryinking-rollers 26, of which there are here shown three in number, whichinking-rollers deposit ink upon the bed as it passes beneath them, andsecured to the boxes 20 of the cylinder are extensions 27, in which arepivoted the distributing-r01lers 28, which distribute over the bed theink brought by the bed from the inkingrollers. This construction,however, forms no part of my present invention. 8 5

The paper-feed box 29 comprises a bottom 30, which slides in grooves 31in the main frame, a back piece 32, adjustable forward and backward onsaid bottom by means of a slot 33 and thumb-screw 3 1, side walls 35, It9 justable on said back piece by means of slots 36 and thumb-screws 37,and a front wall 38, having horizontal arms 39, hinged, as shown at 40,to the bottom 30. Said bottom is cut away in the middle and at its frontportion, and the rear portion 41 of the bottom is still further cut awayat its front edge in a number of recesses 42, corresponding in numberand position with rollers 43 on a shaft 44. Upon the narrow strips 45,left by cutting out the middle of thebottom, rest the arms 39.

The forward motion of the paper-feed box is accompanied by a slightlyupward motion, which is given to it by making the groove 31 inclineslightly upward for instance, threequarters of an inch to a foot, whichinclination, however, may be varied more or less as may be foundnecessary. The box is moved backward and forward by the followingconstruction: Upon the main shaft is mounted a gear-wheel 46, whichmeshes with a pinion 47 upon a counter-shaft 48, extending transverselyor parallel with the main shaft, upon one end of which shaft 48 issecured a crank 49, to which is secured a socket 50, receiving a pitman51, the other end of which is secured in a socket 52. The ends of thepitman 51 are threaded right and left, so that by turning said pitman insaid sockets its working length can be increased or diminished, asrequired. The outer socket 52 is secured by a slotted connection 53 toan arm 54 of a segmental gear 55, mounted upon a shaft 56, having itsbearing in the frame 1. This segmental gear meshes with a pinion 57 onthe shaft 44. This pinion 57 drives the shaft 44, which carries twospur-wheels 59, which engage two racks 60, secured upon the under sidesof the strips 45, forming part of the bottom of the feedbox, so that bythe revolution of said pinion said racks and the feed-box are caused tomove longitudinally.

The sheets of paper placed in the box rest at their rear upon that part41 of the bottom which is not cut out and at their front portion uponthe aforesaid rollers 43, covered with rubber, so that the extreme frontedge of the lowest sheet of paper is free. This edge is caused to beseparated from the edges of the remaining sheets by the followingmechanism: 62 is a vacuum-pum p driven from the shaft 48. From said pumpleads a pipe 63 to a vacuum-tank 64, from which leads a pipe 65, havingbranches 66, which are connected by flexible pipes 67 with boxes 68,secured upon the ends of the hollow cylindershaft 19, each box 68 havingat each end a stufiing-box 69. The shaft 19 is perforated, as shown at70, where it is surrounded by the box 68, and air is at the proper timesucked out of the cylinder-shaft through a spring-actuated valve 71 ateach end of the cylinder operated by. means of an adjustable wedge 72 inthe movement of the cylinder.

The cylinder has a longitudinal recess 75, which receives avacuum-conduit 76, having a number of openings 77 on its upper side tosuck the air through, the openings being arranged obliquely, as shown,and this vacuumconduit is connected at the ends by pipes 78 with theinterior of the shaft 19, and is therefore connected, when the valves 71are open, with the hose leading to the vacuum-tank. Now when thecylinder has arrived at the proper place underneath the edge of thelowest sheet of paper the wedges 72 impinge upon the ends of the valves71 and force them inward, opening the valves and creating a suction tothe pump. This suction takes place when the front edge of the sheet ofpaper is immediately over the holes 77, and the suction through saidholes therefore draws down the edge of the paper onto thevacuum-conduit. Then when the valves 71 are closed again sufficientexhaust remains in the vacuum-conduit 76 to hold the edge of the paperfirmly onto said conduit. The oblique holes 77 in said vacuum-conduitare formed by short rubber tubes which project slightly above thesurface of the conduit and on the ends of which the sheet of paperrests. These short tubes absolutely insure a connection between theexhaust and paper without leakage and unaffected by the presence of bitsof paper or other foreign particles upon the cylinder. Being of rubber,no mark is left upon the paper. Immediately afterward gripper-fingers 8Odescend upon the edge of the paper. These gripper-fingers extendupwardly from a transverse gripper-bar 81, having bearings in boxes 82in the recess 75, and the fingers extend from said bar upward andrearwardly toward the edge of the vacuum-conduit 76. Before said conduitwas connected with exhaust by the opening of the valves 71 said fingerswere raised by the engagement of wedges 84 with spring-actuated stems85, having on their ends wedges 86, engaging wedges 87 on thegripper-bar; but as soon as the edge of the sheet has been drawn down bysuction onto the vacuum conduit the wedges 86 are withdrawn from thewedges 87, and the gripper-fingers 80 drop by gravity onto the edge ofthe sheet. Springs may be used to assist gravity, if desired. The vacuumbeing now no longer needed in the conduit 76, it is opened to theatmosphere by a valve 89, which is engaged by afinger 90, extending fromsaid gripper-bar, operating as the gripper-fingers descend. The cylinderand feed-box now move forward together, the sheets of paper all movingon the rollers 43; but the weight of all the other sheets of paperpresses upon the lowermost sheet, the edge of which has been grasped bythe gripper-fingers. To free said lowermost sheet from this weight,there is provided a lifter-separator 91, which slides in grooves 92 inthe frame above the guideways 21, which separator moves in the oppositedirection to the feed-box and its advancing edge passes beneath thesuperimpressed sheets and raises them from off the lowest sheet. It isfor this reason that the front of the box is made to swing from thehinges 93. This separator is actuated in like manner as the feed-box andfrom the same shaft a8, but from the other end of said shaft, by a crank94, pitman 95, segment 96, gear 97, shaft 98, spur-wheels 99, and racks100 on the separator. The separator 91 carries rollers 111, upon whichthe sheets of paper roll as the feed-box moves over the separator. Bythis means the weight of the upper sheets is entirely removed from thelowest sheet, so that the latter can readily be taken by the cylinder,its edge being held by the gripper-fingers. At the proper place in themovement of the cylinder after the sheet has been printed these fingersare operated to release the sheet by means of wedges 101 engaging thestems 85, and the sheet is delivered from the press.

The mechanism here shown for raising and lowering the platen, which,however, forms no part of my present invention, consists of a shortvertical shaft 104 in the bed, controlled by a spring 105 and having atits lower end an arm 106, engaged by a stationary projection 107 on theframe, the upper end of the shaft having a plurality of arms 108,carrying at their ends wedges 109, engaging wedges 110 depending fromthe bed. It is evident that the turning of the shaft 104 raises orlowers the platen.

I claim 1. In aprinting-press, a feed-box, aseparating-carriage havingan advancing edge to be interposed between the lowest sheet and thesuperincumbent sheets and rollers behind said edge upon which saidsuperincumbent sheets travel, a suction device for drawing down thelowest sheet of the pile, and means for moving said feed-box andseparating-carriage toward each other, substantially as described.

2. In a printing-press, a suction-cylinder having suction-holes for thepaper, and short rubber tubes in said holes projecting slightly abovethe surface of the cylinder, in combination with means for producing anexhaust in said cylinder, substantially as described.

3. A printing-press having a reciprocating rotary impression-cylinderwith suction-holes in its periphery, a feed-box for holding the sheetsof paper, means for moving the feedbox and cylinder in harmony so thatthe front edge of the paper in the feed-box is brought over thesuction-holes, at the beginning of the reciprocation of the cylinder,means for exhau'sting the cylinder, means for moving the cylinder andfeed-box in the same general direction of the machine from the positionin which the front edge of the paper is brought over the suction-holes,means for guiding said cylinder and feed box in their movements wherebythey are separated vertically while moving in the same generaldirection, a separator, and means for moving the separator in theopposite direction to the feed-box and between the bottom of thefeed-box and the cylinder, substantially as described.

1. In a printing-press, in combination with the frame of the press, afeed-box movable over said frame, rollers revolving on a shaft instationary bearings in said frame below said feed-box, the bottom ofsaid feed-box being cut away at its front portion and the front edge ofthe rear portion of the box being cut away to form recesses to passaround said rollers as the box moves forward, in combination with meansfor taking the lower sheet from the feed-box, and means for raising thesuperincumbent sheets therefronti, substantially as described.

5. In a printing-press, in combination, a frame, a box movinglongitudinally over said frame, the bottom of the box being cut away atits front portion, rollers on a shaft in stationary bearings over whichrollers the box moves, the front edge of the rear portion of the bottombeing cut away to form recesses, the front of the box being supportedupon arms pivoted near the rear side of the box, whereby said front canswing upwardly, means for taking the lowest sheet from the box to theimpression-cylinder, and means for raising the remaining sheets,substantially as described.

6. In a printing-press, in combination, a feed-box sliding in suitableguides, and having a rack secured thereto, a spur-gear engaging saidrack and means for operating said spurgear comprising a segment-gearhaving a slotted arm a pitman connected with said arm and means forreciprocating said pitman, substan tially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

EDWARD N. MILLS.

I/Vitnesses:

FRANoIs M. WRIGHT, BESSIE GORFINKEL.

